Can I get an AMEN!
From today's SHOWTIME section of the Ft. Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel. (Pg 46)
Ft. Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel
Nightlife Homegrown:
BY:BETH FEINSTEIN-BARTYL
Hang 10 with Cutback.
April 3, 2009
It's been one long endless summer for Cutback. The guys have been making waves around the state for seven years with their updated take on classic instrumental surfing music.
For guitarists Rich LaVoir and Frank Ferraro, drummer Joe DiDonna and bassist Nick Ravine, Cutback cements a friendship that began in their teens. The quartet's love of surfing and music takes listeners on a wild ride of throbbing drum beats and twanging guitar riffs, pumping up audiences' adrenalin at clubs, luaus and surfing competitions.
Music has always been a happy side gig from their day jobs. Ferraro and Ravine own Brainstorms Advertising, where the conference room doubles as a rehearsal hall. LaVoir is a sound engineer. DiDonna is an installer for AT&T. In their free time, the guys were longtime local performers.
But the Fort Lauderdale natives, now in their 50s, grew tired of classic rock and Top 40 covers. That's when LaVoir suggested concentrating on surf music.
"He brought it to the table and we embraced it," Ferraro said.
The band puts a modern edge on the '60s-influenced surfing genre with original tunes, some of which have been laid down on their disc dubbed Hang Six. Another two CDs feature the group's take on classic surfing tunes like Pipeline and Walk, Don't Run.
Cutback has a steady gig, 6 to 9 p.m. on the first Friday of each month at Fort Lauderdale's Mai-Kai, 3599 N. Federal Highway; maikai.com or 954-563-3272.
For more information, go to www.cutbacksurfband.com.
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